• MPavilion exists on the stolen land of the people of the Eastern Kulin Nations and we pay respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge that sovereignty has never been ceded. We believe this ancient sovereignty can shine through as a fuller expression of Australia’s nationhood. It is important to us that all our collaborators acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land upon which their event is taking place, and that they are aware of the history and importance of the Kulin Nations in the development of any event.
• We aim to prioritise and support the voices of First Nations peoples in the development of our program.
• We prioritise events that consider the importance of care for Country, the environment, and all living beings, and advocate for dialogue around urgent climate action.
• We are driven to bring exceptional design and architecture to all Australians in a free and accessible manner—enriching the lives of individuals, nourishing communities, protecting the environment, boosting economies and improving the growth of cities.

• We welcome projects and collaborative work from communities, organisations and individuals from all identities, environments and experiences that are focused on social and gender equity, sustainability and accessibility.
• We operate under a ‘nothing about us, without us’ policy, and will look to support events that have shown to deeply consider these principles.
• MPavilion is committed to the Panel Pledge. When organising a panel, line-up or any event at MPavilion there needs to be a gender balance in the selection of participants. We will only accept proposals that align with this.
• MPavilion is committed to child safety and we want all children to feel happy and be empowered. We support and respect all children and their families, as well as our staff, volunteers, audience and program participants.
• MPavilion strives to be a culturally inviting and physically safe space for sharing and collaborating, and we encourage and support self determination through freedom of expression.

Please consider the above in both the concept of your proposal, and who you plan to include in your event.

• Anyone who has something to offer our public program. MPavilion is a civic space, a cultural laboratory intended to foster discussion and debate about the role design, architecture and culture have in creating a city that is liveable, creative and equitable.
• We look favourably on submissions from anyone working, studying or practising in the realm of design and the built environment, which includes (but is not limited to) the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, fashion, textiles, urban design, urban planning, urban and cultural heritage, design theory & criticism, graphic design, furniture design and industrial design.
• We also welcome proposals from dance, music, literary, theatre and performing arts practitioners, and community groups.

• We strongly encourage applications from people that are First Nations, CALD, BIPOC, living with a disability, LGBTQIA+, and from other minority communities.
• People from any age group—from 5 to 105—can apply. 
• We aim to support the voices of all young people in our program, so that’s why we have a special consideration for applicants aged 16-25. If you have an idea but you aren’t quite sure if you have the experience to execute it, we encourage you to apply and we will support you in making it happen!
• If you fall outside these categories but you’re familiar with our past programs and think you have a great idea, we absolutely encourage you to get in touch.

Yes. We’re looking to team up with collaborators whose proposals:

• speak to the purpose of MPavilion as a cultural laboratory and civic space
• suit the space both practically and logistically
• align with the themes we have allocated to each month of the 2022 program

Proposals should respond to one of the 2022 program themes

Please ensure your proposed event aligns with the theme occurring during the month of your proposed date.

• UNDER ONE ROOF  Thursday 17 November-Tuesday 20 December
• MATERIAL LAB  Saturday 7 January- Tuesday 28 February
• UNSEEN DESIGN Wednesday 1 March – Sunday 26 March

All events at MPavilion are free and open to the public, and a successful proposal will also take this into consideration. Ask yourself: Who is the event for? Is the topic suitable and interesting to a broad and curious audience?

Proposals are assessed by the program team and an external selection panel—the MPavilion Program Advisory Panel.

We love hosting workshops, talks, debates, presentations, performances, installations and creative interventions. Because we try to accommodate a wide range of programming—often with multiple events in one day—we find the best events are ones that make the most of a simple setup. (A strong, well-communicated concept helps, too.)

Most MPavilion events fall under the following categories:

MTalks  — talks, seminars and panel discussions

MMusic — live music and DJs

MMeets — workshops, collaborative activities, classes and performances (e.g. dance, theatre)

MKids — all of the above, but aimed at the young and young-at-heart

MProjects — installations, interventions and everyday activations

The best way to get a sense of the scale of the project, and the kinds of events that work well at MPavilion is to familiarise yourself with our past programs and collaborators. Browse the recent MPavilion 2021 program, as well as the archived sites for MPavilion 2020, MPavilion 2019, MPavilion 2018, MPavilion 2017, MPavilion 2016, MPavilion 2015 and MPavilion 2014—and also be sure to check out our audio library of past talks and events.

• MPavilion is a brand-free space, which means no banners, logos or branding of any kind may be displayed inside and around MPavilion.
• All events at MPavilion are free to the public. Bookings may be taken for events with limited capacity, e.g. workshops.

• Sales or monetary transactions of any kind during your event will require permission from our programming team, prior to the event date. Please clearly state any plan for sales in your proposal.
• There are limitations to what may be hung from or attached to the MPavilion structure.

This call for proposals is intended to actively open up MPavilion—and the facilities and services that come with it—to the public. Aside from the venue themselves, MPavilion offers curatorial, production and technical support; audio recording for talks (and other events by request); onsite staff and equipment; inclusion in our public program; and promotional support through our website and social media channels.

MPavilion will work with you to support any accessibility needs you may have in the development and delivery of your event. 

With over 400 events in our annual program, financial support for each event is decided on a case-by-case basis. In the submission form, you’ll be asked if your proposed project is self-funded. If your project is not self-funded, please let us know your proposed budget.

expressions of interest open: monday 18 july

expressions of interest close: 5pm TUESDAY 23 august

MPAVILION SEASON RUNS: 17 NOVEMBER 2022 – 26 MARCH 2023